Be Home Free Sweet Sixteen

 Oh my word, what an amazing response I had to the launch of my hashtag #BeHomeFree and just in these first few weeks I'm finding it hard to decide, I'm overwhelmed by how great the entries have been.

There are two prizes this month .... below you can see the Kantha quilt donated by Holy Cow Home, it's made from vintage sarees and hand sewn. The fabric is soft and a beautiful summer weight as a bed throw or a picnic blanket.

 The second prize is a bottle garland, an uber cute item from Rose & Grey, little light bulb shaped bottles tied to a rustic string with little shells between.

Here is a small selection of our entries ... the white rooms, with pastel hints, the feminine vignettes ...

@lisapocklington @keepingwiththetimes @the.life.so.beautiful @permillion44

The vintage palaces ... these ladies live their dreams, the dedicated hunters of the old but beautiful ...

@lisa_loves_vintage @thevintagehousethatcould @patchworkhrmy @tamsynmorgans

The more moody hues, richer tones with the Dutch painting feel ... 

@definitely_dreaming @saffronandsuitcases @niki.at.the.cottage @hildemork78

And the atmospheric reading nooks, with lovely light and ... cake

@trish.sweetnellie @katgoldin @heatheryounguk @circleofpines

But, as they say in the t.v. shows, there can only be two winners so (drum roll please) ...

the winner of the Kantha quilt is @tamsynmorgans for her amazing little iron day bed with Vernon Ward print 

and the winner of the bottle garland is @niki.at.the.cottage for her outside green space 

I'm thinking I may have to visit some of your homes and take photos, mmm there's an idea. 

I sincerely thank everyone who joined, it brought a tear to my eye every time I saw the feed.  Next month we will be giving away a super stylish copper tray from Mia Fleur and some drinking goblets from Katie Alice. 

While I don't want to set a theme, (I like the freedom as the name suggests), I would hint that perhaps some outdoors dining shots for July, where do you sit when the sun shines?, the little spaces just outside your back door and how you style it.

Holy Cow Home brings the Sprit Of Summer

My good friends at Holy Cow Home are doing some exciting London shows this year and as I will be helping them style an area at The House Fair - Spirit Of Summer. They have very generously donated the most amazing prize for #behomefree (my new hashtag).

The House Fair at Olympia in London runs from June 22nd - 25th, in conjunction with the extremely classy House & Garden magazine. The show is an absolute essential for anyone interested in interiors, there will be some styled room sets by some of my fellow Amara Interior Bloggers, a summer restaurant run by Mossiman and the theme is 'Sprit of Summer'.

THIS IS THE ACTUAL QUILT WE ARE GIVING AS YOUR PRIZE

Several years ago I appeared in a Homes & Antiques issue all about an Indian Summer, and that year I introduced my latest discovery -the Kantha quilt.  This has become a staple of all cool eclectic boho homes, with summer seeing us changing over from the winter wool throws and blankets to the cotton Kantha's which are hand made from vintage saris.

Nothing says summer more to me than Kantha quilts, I take them everywhere, I even make tents out of them on hot days, the mixtures of muted and vibrant colours, the adorable little patches, and the softness of the worn cloth make them an incredibly versatile item.

So, guess what, you can now also be the proud owner of your very own Kantha quilt, courtesy of Holy Cow Home, PLUS ... two tickets to the House Fair.  

If you are really keen, there are two chances to win as Natasha whose blog is called "Taking A Moment In Time" will also be offering a quilt with her new hashtag #thewayweliveinthecountry where she will be showing how she takes her Kantha out of the house.

So here's what you have to do to be entered into the competition ;
follow me @Janiceissitt_life_style  and @holycowhome on instagram (or twitter if you don't have instagram) and tag your photos with #behomefree with a little explanation about how you would use a #Kantha quilt.

We will choose the winners in time for your to arrange your travel to the House Fair/Spirit Of Summer.  

Be Home Free

drum roll please ...... today I am launching my own hashtag!!!

I'm so excited about the possibilities, so here's what it's all about.  

After much cogitating and talking with friends I finally settled on the tag #BeHomeFree and for me this will encompass a multitude of different things.

The dictionary definition of "Be Home Free" is to be certain to succeed at something because you have done the most difficult part of it.  I feel like this in my life, now in my 50's, I'm happy with the way life is going, and semi-retirement means more time to pursue happiness and well being.

As a crafter, this could also mean that you have broken the back of a project you are working on, which I certainly know the feeling of. 

As this blog is about life and style as I see it, then there are many other aspects to the words.  

To BE - in the moment, taking time for yourself, a simple meditation that takes the stress away .... 

HOME - where-ever you lay your hat, making a space personal so that you feel cozy and good, let me see your favourite aspects of your home, little corners, personal objects that you like to have with you ... HOME is many things to many people. 

FREE - out and about exploring, adventures and travels. What style do you like to wear when you are away from home? What do you always take with you? Cool and beautiful places to stay and visit ... freedom, what does that mean to you? 

Freedom from convention, free style, if you are like me and not conforming to the stereotype of your age group or gender then here is something that I want to discuss. 

I will be setting the prompts for these different aspects over on Instagram and announcing the winners here on this blog, I already have a handful of great sponsors for this hashtag so there is something for everyone here.

One of my most liked photos on Instagram was of the string of bottles from Rose & Grey so they have kindly said that they would give one away to the winner of the hashtag competition, how fab is that.

So all you have to do is post a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #behomefree and at the end of the month I will announce across all social media the name of the winner and sharing their photo too. If you don't have instagram but you do have twitter then send it to me there, my link is ... @janiceissitt

So, please put it in your diaries, the hashtag launches today June 1st and the closing date for our first competition will be at the end of the month, post your photos any day of the week and I will be doing a round up each week of how the #behomefree community is growing.  

I can't wait to see your interpretation of the phrase, and for this first month I would like to you to post a photo that shows 

....... a sense of home and how you see it. 

x